Tag: Najae

One hundred high school teachers from across Nova Scotia will be in Wolfville over the next three days to learn more about how they can improve the literacy skills of their students. Anne Davies, an expert in classroom assessment and author and co-author of 19 books and learning resources, will conduct the workshop, Oct. 20-22. The workshop will help teachers improve instruction and develop more effective strategies to involve and engage students. “This is about helping teachers use what they learn from their own student assessments so they can become even better at addressing the learning needs of their students,” said Education Minister Karen Casey. “Literacy is a priority at all grade levels and in all subject areas,” she said. The Literacy Success 12 workshop is the eighth in a series of annual professional development conferences that has helped teachers focus on literacy from Primary to Grade 12. To help support literacy at the high school level, the Department of Education will distribute $500,000 worth of books and other classroom and online resources to help meet the needs of all students. Investing in more learning resources, as well as ongoing in-service education for administrators, classroom teachers, and resource teachers, is part of Nova Scotia’s Literacy Success Strategy.read more

TORONTO — Strength in gold stocks propelled the Toronto stock market higher Wednesday alongside further data which points to a recovery in the U.S. economy.Here are the closing numbersTSX — 14,459.11+78.56 0.55%S&P 500 — 1,890.90+5.38 0.29%Dow — 16,573.00+40.39 0.24%Nasdaq — 4,276.46 +8.42 0.20% Toronto’s main stock index closed the trading session ahead 78.56 points to 14,459.11.The Canadian dollar fell 0.03 of a cent to 90.62 cents US.Leading the charge on the TSX was a major deal between two Canadian gold companies — Yamana Gold and Osisko Mining — which pushed the gold sector higher.Osisko (TSX:OSK), which has been seeking an alternative to a hostile takeover offer by Goldcorp (TSX:G), signed a deal to sell a 50% stake in its mining and exploration assets to Yamana (TSX:YRI).The agreement, which includes the involvement of the CPP Investment Board the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, values Osisko at about $3.4 billion.Osisko shares were by far the heaviest traded on the TSX, rising 5.5% to $7.26 on nearly 38 million shares. Yamana stock dropped 28 cents to $9.43 on the TSX.A higher price for bullion also supported widespread strength among other TSX-listed gold stocks. The June gold contract gained $10.80 to close at $1,290.80 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.“We’ve been dealing with under performance with the Toronto market for awhile now, but that started for change as we got into 2014,” said Andrew Pyle, senior wealth adviser and portfolio manager at ScotiaMcLeod in Peterborough, Ont.“What we’ve seen this year is a recovery in a lot of sectors that were major drags last year.”That includes gold stocks, materials, and utilities, which have all gained traction, Pyle said.The TSX hit its all-time high of 15,073 on June 18, 2008.Over the past few months, the TSX has grinded its way higher, after eking out small gains in 2013, which looked good against the two previous years when it gave back a combined 14.5%.However, some observers suggest the S&P/TSX Composite is headed toward a ceiling, and could find itself much lower by the end of the year.BMO Capital Markets chief investment strategist Brian Belski suggests the S&P/TSX Composite index could fall back to where it started the year, which would mark a decline of about 5%.On Wall Street, the S&P 500 index closed at another record, up 5.38 points to 1,890.90. The Dow Jones Industrials moved ahead 40.39 points to 16,573 while the Nasdaq rose 8.42 points to 4,276.46.The move in the U.S. came amid new data on U.S. jobs figures that could push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates earlier than anticipated.A survey from payroll processor ADP said that U.S. companies hired at a faster clip in March. Private employers added 191,000 jobs in March, another positive sign for the jobs market ahead of the U.S. non-farm payrolls report and Canadian labour force survey due on Friday.“(The ADP report) has… shifted speculation back toward a more hawkish Fed that could start to raise interest rates sooner rather than later after tapering ends later this year,” said Colin Cieszynski, a senior markets analyst at CMC Markets, in a note to investors.In commodities, crude continued to trade below US$100 per barrel. Oil for May delivery settled at US$99.62, down 12 cents. Copper prices returned to more normal levels after a magnitude-8.2 earthquake off the coast of Chile — a major producer of the metal — sent prices soaring to their highest levels since early March. The May copper contract was up 1.1 cents at US$3.05 a pound.Agrium Inc. (TSX:AGU) shares weakened after the fertilizer producer said it expects only a slim profit in the first quarter, just above the break-even point. Analysts have been expecting Agrium’s profit for the first quarter of 2014 to be well above break-even, although down from a year ago. Its shares dropped $1.45 to $106.09BlackBerry Ltd. (TSX:BB) says it won’t renew a licensing agreement with U.S. telecom giant T-Mobile when it expires on April 25, which means T-Mobile won’t sell BlackBerry products after inventories run out. BlackBerry shares were up 11 cents to $9.05.TOP STORIESOsisko surprises with nearly $1-billion deal to sell 50% stake to Yamana GoldU.S. senators attack GM for ‘culture of coverup’ and ‘criminal deception’ in handling recallsNo collapse in Canada’s condo market, but not much growth eitherHere’s why Google is about to split its shares for the first time in the company’s historyWHAT’S ON DECK THURSDAYECONOMIC NEWSCANADA8:30 a.m.Merchandise Trade Balance (Feb): Economists expect a surplus of $200-million UNITED STATES8:30 a.m.Weekly jobless claims: Economists expect 319,000 new claims, up from last week Goods & Services Trade Balance (Feb): Economists expect a deficit of $38.5-billion 10 a.m.Non-manufacturing ISM Index (Mar): Economists expect a reading of 53.5, up from last week CORPORATE NEWSCANADAHudsons Bay Company Q4 earnings: Analysts expect 49¢ a share Richelieu Hardware Ltd Q1 earnings: Analysts expect 43¢ a share UNITED STATESMicron Technology, Inc. Q2 earnings: Analysts expect 74¢ a shareread more